Simple Chilled Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe (vlog)

Thanksgiving is just one week away for us Canadians and around here that means a few constants such as pumpkin desserts, little boys in button-down shirts, and turkey dinner for fifty.

While pie is a staple on the sweet table, I like to round things out with a cool and creamy cheesecake, preferably pumpkin, since they are so plentiful now. A pie is best enjoyed warm from the oven (not always feasible on Turkey Day), but I’m convinced this chilled pumpkin cheesecake only gets better after a day or two in the refrigerator, making it the perfect do-ahead dessert.

I’m keeping this post short because you absolutely must watch my latest vlog. Not only do I demonstrate the easiest cheesecake I’ve ever made, but it is jam-packed full of practical kitchen shortcuts and time-savers!

Tips and tricks demonstrated in the vlog:

  • How to achieve a taller cheesecake.
  • How to easily line a round pan with parchment paper.
  • How to quickly pack a perfect crumb crust into the pan.
  • How to smooth the top of the cheesecake.
  • How to securely wrap the cheesecake for chilling.
  • And more!

Welcome back to my kitchen. I hope you enjoy what I’ve cooked up for you this time!


on Vimeo

Simple Chilled Pumpkin Cheesecake

Print Pin Rate
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 381kcal
Author: Aimee

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 stick, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

For the Filling

  • 1 cup pumpkin purée preferably homemade (learn how to make your own)
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 stick, softened
  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Lightly butter a 7-inch springform pan and line the bottom edge with parchment paper; set aside.

For the Crust

  • In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, ground ginger and melted butter. Mix well.
  • Tip crumb mixture into bottom of the prepared pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Tamp the crumbs down firmly with the bottom of a glass.
  • Bake until golden brown and toasted, about 7 minutes; set aside to let cool completely.

For the Filling

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 1/4 cup softened butter and the cream cheese until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the mixer. Add pumpkin purée and mix to combine.
  • Add vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and combine until smooth. Reduce speed to medium low and add powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time; beat until smooth.
  • Transfer pumpkin mixture to prepared pan, spreading it out evenly over the crust.
  • Cover and chill until set, about 6 hours, or overnight. Remove outer ring of pan. Cut into slices and serve.

Notes

adapted from Whole Foods Market.com

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 327mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 5880IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1.1mg

 

What did you have for dessert on Thanksgiving when you were growing up?

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68 Comments

  1. OK, this looks too good. I am so excited because I was just talking to my mother-in-law tonight about what dessert I was going to make for Thanksgiving this year, and I think I’ve found my answer! This looks amazingly fall-ish to me. I can’t wait to taste it.

    As for dessert, Thanksgiving, growing up: I came from a family of non-cookers, but they had their traditions. Our’s was 2 pies from Marie Callender’s: French apple and German chocolate. Which is weird, come to think of it, because we’re Italian. hmmmm….

  2. Pumpkin used in dessert hasn’t been something that we do here often… it’s more for savoury..but I’m definitely a fan. There is something that we miss down here that can make it teeny easier… Pumpkin puree in a can is not something we can buy off the shelf. I’m glad to hear your recipe calls for homemade pumpkin puree because it means that this… i can do too! fantastic vlog!! cheers kari

  3. Okay, that parchment paper cutting trick is so neat! How clever I’m going to feel from now on now that I know how to do that. Thank you! 🙂

    Cheesecake is one of my favorite treats, so I’m looking forward to giving this recipe a try.

  4. Yum. I could definitely see adapting this with stevia for the sugar and ground nuts for the graham crackers since I can’t eat wheat or sugar. But, wow, looks delicious!

    1. I was about to comment and say I wanted to try and adapt with a gluten-free crust and stevia too! Shannon, please keep us posted if you do. Aimee, this looks amazing and so easy! Thanks for the great vlog.

      1. I also needed to make the crust gluten free. The substitute options can be gluten free grahams, crushed pecans and GF baking mix, or Pamela’s pecan shortbread cookies. There are lots of alternative crust recipes if you just google it :). I love pumpkin so I cannot wait to try this. Thanks!!

  5. Mom’s cherry pie was/is a must at Thanksgiving. Of course my aunts would make pecan, pumpkin, and apple, but cherry was the one that everyone wanted. 😀

    Amiee, how can I praise you enough? I learned so much from your video that I’m completely giddy. I even want to try this recipe, even though I don’t love pumpkin a lot. I am curious about your homemade pumpkin puree; is it similar to the canned stuff from the store? Would you say it’s better?

    1. Cherry pie sounds TOO good, Kara! I would hit that up first, as well.

      Oh gosh, you are too kind. I’m so glad you learned something new today on this little corner of the blogosphere.
      I would say the homemade pumpkin puree is much better than the store. I never liked pumpkin pie when I was growing up, just because it was too strong and made me gag, really! The homemade stuff is mild, and with a most pleasant pumpkin aroma and flavor.

  6. Fab Aimee! When I worked on a cookbook at my old job we were on The Today Show and I had to bring the Pumpkin Cheesecake for Al Roker to eat on air (!) I made 4 cheesecakes for the studio just to be sure there was one that was TV ready. It was wild! I LOVE Pumpkin cheesecake, this is the perfect fall dessert! Also, your vlogs are great!

    1. Really? Wow, that is a great story!!! I’ll have to check out your favorites.

      Glad you liked the vlog! This is only my second..so I have a lot of growing to do, but they are lots of fun to make.

  7. My girls and I just watched the vlog and learned a few new tricks! Thanks 🙂 And we might be making that yummy cheesecake soon too!

  8. Mmmmm, I love pumpkin cheesecake! And no bake is even better. I’ll have to try this one out. ☺ Oh, if you want a truly lazy way to do the parchment, just lay a square on the base of the springform and then strap the sides on over it. It goes on nice and tight and you can cut off the excess whenever and however you want: before or after baking, from the outside, or after unmolding…

  9. Oh my, this looks amazing. Pumpkin desserts are my favorite! I should have invested in a stand mixer years ago, but do you think I can get by with a hand mixer for this recipe?

  10. Yum! I should not be watching this vlog so close to bed time! 🙂 I was intrigued by you keeping your ground ginger in the freezer. Would this lengthen the shelf life of all ground spices? I love learning new stuff from you! 🙂

  11. Yum! I can’t wait to try making this…you make it look so easy! Do you have any suggestions for how to adapt the recipe to make bite-sized cheesecake? I would love to make it for a baby shower, but we already have a full-sized cake planned.

  12. Hi! Just wanted to say that this looks like an awesome recipe! I told my mom that I wanted to make a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving this year, and this one looks perfect! I am also Celiac, (like a couple other posters) so I will have to modify the crust a bit, but thats it! And your video was great too! 🙂 Thanks!

  13. Aimee – I must say, I so want to make this and it is definitely on my to do list very soon. Here’s the thing though – I do want to make my own pumpkin puree, and I know it is one of those things that is probably so completely simple. However, it is also something I’ve never done and therefore, something I’m not sure I know the right way to do it. Seems silly to me, but I figure I’m probably not the only one. So… how would you recommend going about doing it the right way? 🙂

    Holly

      1. Woo hoo! Thanks Aimee! I probably could have searched myself, but, let’s face it, I’m lazy 🙂 Besides, now I know I’ve got good instructions. I will now be going a pumpkin hunting for more than just Halloween 😉

  14. Hi Aimee, I needed the video…very visual learner. I would like help on roasting a pumpkin for using homemade pumpkin puree instead of canned. Forgive the ignorance here but no I have not ever roasted a pumpkin and have no idea how. I would love to make this for our Thanksgiving gathering. I really enjoy the Simple Living Media line up!

  15. Ok, sorry I just saw another commenter ask the same thing and I got the link to homemade pumpkin puree. Thanks!!

  16. I made this for company we had this weekend. First, let me say that the flavor was AWESOME. However, I was very disappointed because mine never set. It was very soft–it chilled for about 8+ hours before I served it, and then it was in the fridge for 24+ hours after that, and I pulled it out today thinking it would be firmer, but it was still very soft.

    I looked back over the recipe, and I know I followed it exactly. So I’m not sure where I went wrong! I guess I should say, I followed it exactly, except I used canned pumpkin puree. But that shouldn’t change anything, because canned pumpkin puree is thicker than homemade puree. I used regular butter and regular cream cheese.

    Any ideas? My fridge is working for everything else! 🙂

    1. Oh dear. So many people have been making the cheesecake and giving great feed back. I can’t think what went wrong. You didn’t use ‘light’ cream cheese?

      1. Nope, I used the good stuff. 🙂 I can’t think what went wrong either! 🙁 I am almost 100% positive that I followed the recipe exactly as written!

  17. I rushed out and picked up the ingredients. Can’t wait to make it, but forgot one thing — parchment paper. What does the parchment paper do and can I get by without it???? You can tell I’ve never made a cheesecake before.

    1. Relax, Angela! You’ll be fine without parchement. I use it to ensure the bottom doesn’t stick and I can transfer the cheesecake to a cake stand for presentation.

      Have fun!

  18. I may have commented already, but in case I didn’t… the vblog is wonderful, and very appreciated! I just made this cheesecake and have it chilling in the fridge as I type. I was a little surprised by the fact it isn’t very sweet, but that’s probably because I’m used to overly sweet chilled cheesecakes. I’m anxious to try it later!

  19. We tried it, the texture was amazing, very light. The one opinion everyone shared was that it wasn’t sweet enough, and because of that, the cream cheese taste was a little overwhelming. I will make it again, but will probably add 1 cup of powdered sugar, rather than 1/2 cup. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  20. I made 2 types of pumpkin cheesecake over thanksgiving and my mother absolutely loved this chilled version! Now she wants me to make it again when pumpkin is out of season, so I was trying to see if there were other flavors, but most no-bake cheesecake recipes have gelatin in it. Can you make this and just swap out the pumpkin purée with other flavors?

  21. This looks so delicious and simple to make too! I was just wondering if this sets properly without gelatine and heavy cream in the recipe?

  22. Instead of putting 1 cup of pumpkin puree…I put 1 can (15 oz). How can I fix this to make it taste right and have the right consistency?

  23. Just heading out to get the ingredients, so can’t rate the recipe yet.
    I assume the recipe was posted Pre-Covid, regarding the comment of Turkey Dinner for 50. I’m thinking sad thoughts about all of my loved ones who are so far away, and all of the flights cancelled and visits delayed, yet again. I will make the pie, and think wistfully about family I would have loved to share it with.